This journey could be one about self-empowerment or being the best “you,” which is what Glossier sells with Glossier You. It’s not a competition for which perfume is the sexiest it’s about which one can elicit the strongest emotional connection.Īccording to Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist and the author of “The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell,” perfume went from marketing “direct themes” like power or sex to encouraging a “personal journey.” Smaller, niche perfume brands like Byredo or Le Labo are advertised as “gender neutral.” These brands don’t play to outdated gender constructs and singular messaging about sex and sexual orientation. Today, brands talk about fragrance in terms of places and how it will make the wearer feel. “Now we all feel like, ‘This advertiser is going to tell me how I’m supposed to feel or that I want to have sex because of their fragrance or that I want to become an object because of their fragrance?’” “It just feels really old fashioned and kind of offensive,” Ms.
